What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul

 

Jesus Christ Glory is to Him said this phrase and it was registered in the three Gospels: in (Mt 16:26), (Mk 8:36), (Lk 9:5).

The word (world) has more than a meaning in the

holy bible, out of which I mention:

1. (The world) which means people, as in (Jn

3:16) “For God so loved the world that He gave

His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in

Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

And it means that God loved the people… (Who

are in the world)?

And as it was also said about the Christ after the

miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead “the

world has gone after Him” (Jn 12:19). And there

are other phrases about Christ as savior of the

world…

2. (The world) also means this life, as mentioned

in “That was the true Light which gives light to

every man coming into the world. He was in the

world, and the world was made through Him, and

the world did not know Him.” (Jn 1:9, 10).

And the second part of this same phrase (the

world did not know him), it means: inhabitants of

the world didn’t know him.

3. The third meaning for (the world) is the world’s materialistic issues; as lusts and the pride of life as was mentioned in (1 Jn 2:15-17): “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life… the world is passing away, and the lust of it”.

And Jesus Christ in His saying “what profit is it to

a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his

own soul?!”, He meant the third explanation of

(the world) which is lusts and pride of life…

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Regarding the phrase (If he gains the whole

world), I would like here to say:

No one ever gained the whole world in this

life…

The word (If) Introduces a conditional

clause…which means that if man is able to gain the

whole world – and that is impossible- so what profit is

it to him if for that purpose he would lose his own

soul!!

And the phrase goes on saying “Or what will a man

give in exchange for his soul?!” (Mt 16:26), as man

has only one soul, if he loses it he will lose everything

and nothing could be given as a substitute or in

exchange for his soul. So what profit then it is to a

man if he gains the whole world and loses his own

soul?! Nothing.

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The majority of people try to gain just a part

of this world, or give in themselves for the sake

of something in the world, and not the whole

world.

As a person who tries to gain one of the world’s

lusts, money, ranks, women or self dignity…and not

the whole world…

Mother Eve took one of the world’s fruits, causing

harm to herself and caused Adam’s soul to fall with

her when he ate with her from the same tree, death

was their penalty; they were sent out of the garden of

Eden and were to live in sorrow and pain, thorns and

thistles the ground brings for him which means that

the ground is to rebel against this sinful man. And

except for salvation presented by the Christ; the

destiny would have been also an eternal death and

destruction. But God saved man and his sons or else

they would have lost everything: earth and heaven…

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And in the story of Ahab the evil king: he desired

only a vineyard which belonged to Naboth the

Jezreelite, and his evil wife Jezebel helped him to

fulfill this lust by making up a false accusation against

Naboth convicting him with blasphemy and she used

false witnesses, and so Naboth was stoned to death

and Ahab took the vineyard. But Ahab lost his soul

and the word of the Lord came to him “In the place

where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick

your blood, even yours.” (1 K 21:19), and he lost

everything life and eternity. And so was his wife

jezebel’s destiny as the dogs licked her blood…

Truly “what profit is it to a man if he gains the

whole world, and loses his own soul”.

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Another example: in the story of Ananias

and Sapphira (Ac 5)

They kept back part of the proceeds of selling a

possession which they wanted to donate it to the

church of the apostles, they lied saying that what

they paid was the whole amount!

So what did they gain of that part of money they

kept back?! They were sentenced to death by Saint

Peter the apostle because they lied to the Holy Spirit.

And so they died without repentance and lost their

souls; they lost both earth and heaven!!

Another type of people who gain money

even by treachery.

Example of which is what Delilah had done, the

woman whom Samson loved:

His enemies came to her and offered that each

one gives her eleven hundred pieces of silver if she

knew where his great strength lies and by what

means they might overpower him… Delilah's heart

was seduced so she pressed Sampson till she knew

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that he had been a Nazirite to God from his mother’s

womb and the sign was his hair, If he was shaven,

then his strength will leave him and he shall become

weak (Jg 16).

And Delilah betrayed the friend of her life

Samson, she called his enemies who shaved off the

hair of his head, his strength hence left him so they

tormented him and took out his eyes and he became

a grinder in the prison…!

So did Delilah gain anything from that money she

took out of treachery?! No, she lost everything, lost

her reputation and lost her soul as well. Some stories

mentioned that she died in the temple when she

came to see what has happened to Samson, it was

also said that Samson destroyed the main pillars of

the temple and the temple went down on those who

were inside it and Delilah was one of them…!

The people brought Samson to the temple to make a

fool out of him and instead he fooled them…! So what

did Delilah gain?! Indeed, what profit is it to a man if

he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

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Another example is the great traitor, Judas

Iscariot:

He who betrayed his Master and his God for thirty

pieces of silver?! And what did he gain?! Nothing…he

was remorseful and brought back the pieces of silver

and went and hanged himself (Mt 27:5). And by that

he lost both life and eternity he lost the money and

lost his soul, and throughout ages he became a

symbol of betrayal ; Jesus Christ glory is to Him said

about Judas " It would have been good for that man if

he had never been born "…

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The phrase which says "loses his own soul"

sometimes gives the meaning both earth and

also in eternity.

For example: if a person is addicted to drugs, he

loses his health, his money and also his eternal

destiny he loses them completely…and lots of sins

follow which have penalty or penalties on earth in

addition to eternal penalty after death…earthly

penalties might include the judgment of society and

state judgment as well.

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There is a person about whom we don't say

“if he gains the whole world” but we say "if he

even tries to gain the whole world"…!

Absalom the son of King David is an example (2 S

15-18).

He desired the kingdom of his father, he tried and

never succeeded and died in his sin, Absalom died,

lost kingdom on earth and lost his reputation he died

without repentance and so he also lost his

eternity…so what did he gain?! He also lost his soul

and lost what he could have won on earth…!

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Another example is Saul the King who

afflicted David…

He wanted to get rid of David as he considered

him a competitor on the throne and a competitor on

the love and admiration of the people…Saul tried so

hard to kill David but he couldn't…and he finally died

at war and gained nothing not on earth and not even

in heaven but he lost his soul, his reputation and lost

the purity of his heart as well…and Saul died in his

sin.

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Solomon the Wise is another example.

No one hadn't ever enjoyed the world and its

belongings as Solomon did, he said in the book of

Ecclesiastes “I made my works great, I built myself

houses, and planted myself vineyards. I made myself

gardens and orchards…I acquired male and female

singers, the delights of the sons of men" till his saying

"Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them"

(Ec 2:4-10). So what was the result, and Solomon

thought that he gained the whole world, the Bible

says: "For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his

wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart

was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart

of his father David. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth

the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the

abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in

the sight of the Lord…"

Solomon lost his soul but God interfered in two

ways:

First, as the Lord said to David about him "If he

commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of

men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My

mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from

Saul" (2 S 7:12-14). And God permitted that he had

enemies who threatened his throne and his country

was divided during the era of his son Rehoboam and

ten tribes were taken out of it…and Solomon lost on

earth…

Secondly, God led Solomon to repentance as

mentioned in the book of Ecclesiastes and the Song of

all Songs. And he knew that the whole world is vanity

and grasping for the wind and that there was no profit

under the sun…and finally Solomon was saved as with

fire… this wise man who was the wisest of all the

inhabitants of the whole earth in his days…

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As long as it is this way, so let every person

cares for his own salvation.

Because however profit would he gain from this

world, he will definitely one day leaves taking nothing

of what he had gained: no money, no ranks, no

posts, no pride, no dignity and none of the physical

delights. None of these things stays forever, as the

world vanishes and so do all its desires…